Echinops — Elymus. 1 29 



not very large, forms an agreeable and distinct object, 

 and is very well calculated for producing a striking effect 

 among dwarf bedding and edging plants. It may be 

 propagated by the leaves, by cuttings, or by seeds, and 

 requires a dry greenhouse-shelf in the winter. Light 

 sandy earth, not of necessity very poor, will suit it best 

 in the open air. It will prove very effective on the mar- 

 gins of beds and groups of the dwarfer foliage-plants, or 

 here and there among hardy succulents, and should be 

 planted out about the middle of May. 



*Echinops ruthenicus. — A hardy ornamental plant 

 from S. Russia, with stems 3 or 4 feet high, much branched 

 in the upper part, and covered with a silvery down. 

 The leaves are deeply toothed and spiny, of a dark 

 green above, white and cottony underneath. The flowers 

 are blue, and borne in almost spherical heads on the tops 

 of the erect branches. The plant flourishes best in a 

 calcareous soil, but will do well in almost any well-drained 

 ground. Easily multiplied by seed, division of the tufts, 

 or by cuttings of the roots in spring. This is the most 

 ornamental of its distinct family, and is highly suitable for 

 grouping with the finer herbaceous plants. It would also 

 look remarkably bold and well if isolated on the turf. 



*Elymus arenarius. — This wild British grass — a 

 strong-rooting and most distinct-looking herb — is capable 

 of adding a striking feature to the garden here and there, 

 and should be quickly introduced into cultivation. Planted 

 a short distance away from the margin of a shrubbery, or 

 on a bank on the grass, and allowed to have its own way 

 in deep soil, it makes a most striking object. In short, 

 it deserves to rank high among really hardy fine grasses, 



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